The outgoing national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has denied that it collected bribe from Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State to give him the party’s gubernatorial ticket for the 2020 election.
Speaking during the valedictory session for the outgoing National Working Committee (NWC) of the party on Wednesday in Abuja, he denied that the PDP demanded or collected any form of financial gratification before handing Obaseki the ticket of the party to fly the flag of the PDP in the election.
Ologbondiyan said: “Let me state without mincing words that the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, owe the members of this NWC the responsibility of clearing our names before the public.
“I will like to place on record that this NWC did not demand for any form of gratification from Obaseki before he got the ticket of our party.
“It is also important to restate that this NWC did not demand for any form of ‘tax’ from Governor Obaseki neither did we collect same. He, therefore, owes it a duty to clear our names,” he said.
Ologbondiyan’s reaction may not be unconnected with the allegation made by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state against the Secondus-led NWC who he labelled tax collectors.
Recalled that Wike had said: “They are tax collectors. Let them challenge me and I will come out with more facts. Nobody will rubbish me by raising false accusations against me. I will fight back.”
Ologbondiyan said that the outgoing leadership of the party did its best to reposition the party for future challenges.
He added: “Before the 2019 elections, we had already added three governors from Sokoto, Kwara, and the Benue States. The Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives led a good number of their colleagues to team up with the party. The All Progressives Congress, APC adopted a reckless maximum rigging to snatch Ekiti and Osun.
“We rebuilt the party in content and character and this made it an attraction. We came out of the election with 17 Governors, the APC stole Imo State while three governors later left the party to pursue personal endeavours which were not as a result of NWC’s fault.
“The 2018 elective national convention which produced our Presidential candidate was adjudged the best. It was keenly contested and not by consensus. At the end, none of the aspirants left the party.
“The NWC carried out reforms that stopped the use of Ghana Must Go to win nominations or tickets, restructured the workforce and adopted a smart approach. For many years, the party was unable to conduct online registration of its members. Today we have our members registering online and our party has become digitally prepared ahead of any other party in our country.”
The valedictory session was attended by prominent party chieftains including incoming national chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, national secretary-elect, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Tanimu Turaki among others.
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We did not collect money from Obaseki to give him ticket ― PDP
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